Highway guard structure



:J1/nannte@ W. M. FLORANCE HIGHWAY GUARD STRUCTURE Filed Aug. l0, l1955 Nov., 8, 1938.

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 UNITED STATES HIGHWAY GUARD STRUCTURE Warren M. Flcrance, Bethlehem, Pa., assignor to Bethlehem Steel Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 10, 1935, Serial No. 35,581

19 Claims.

My invention relates toimprovements in guard structures for highways.

One object of my invention is to provide an improved highway guard structure which will effectively resist impacts transmitted thereto by travelling vehicles coming into contact with the guard rail and thereby prevent the vehicles from leaving the highway and at the same time to provide a structure which will eiiiciently absorb the i shocks transmitted thereto so that no substantial damage will occur to the vehicles.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved resilient bracket intermediate the guard rails and the supports for supporting the Si guard rails.

The novel features of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description and claims taken with the accompanying drawing in which- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a section of a road guard structure embodying one form of myv invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view in elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

25 Fig. 3 is a top plan View of a section of a road guard structure embodying a modification of my invention.

Fig. 4 is a side View in elevation of the bracket shown in Fig. 3.

3u' Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a section of a road guard structure embodying another modication of my invention.

Fig. 6 is a side view in elevation of the bracket shown in Figure 5.

35 Fig. '7 is a top plan view of another modification of the road guard bracket.

Fig. 8 is a view of the parts of the bracket shown in Figs. 5 and 6 before assembly, the parts being shown inclined forwardly from their 40= vertical position.

Referring to the drawing, particularly Figs. 1 and 2, I show a road guard structure comprising a plurality of posts or supports I6 having a guard rail or plate Il supported thereon through 45v the medium of the brackets i8, and one of the end or anchor posts I9, to which one end of the guard rail l1 is anchored. The brackets I8 are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 connected to the posts I6 by means of the boltsl 22, and the guard rail 50 l1 is shown slidably connected to the brackets i8 by means of the clips 23, which are preferably welded to the brackets i 8, although they may be connected thereto in any other suitable manner. The guard rail I1 preferably comprises strips or panels oi resilient steel oi suitable tensile strength to withstand the shocks which may be imposed thereon due to vehicles impacting therewith.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, the bracket I8 com- K prises a body portion 2|, which is shown con- 5 nectecl to the post I6 by means of the bolts 22,

a resilient C-shaped portion 23 having its inner end integral with one end of the body portion 2l, and its outer end 25 connected to the guard y rail il, .and a leaf spring portion 28 integral 10 with the other end of the body portion 2| and eX- tending in the same general direction longitudinally of the rail l1 as the outer end portion 25 of the C'-shaped spring portion 23 and having its outer end 21 connected to the guard rail Il. 15 Clips are provided on the upper and lower edges of the ends and 21, respectively, to slidably support the guard rail I1.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, I show a bracket 28, which is similar to the bracket shown in Figs. 2* 1 and 2 except that the clips 20 are omitted and the outer ends of the bracket are provided with elongated slots 30 to receive the bolts 3| to support the guard rail I1 thereon. An elongated slot 32 is preferably provided in the body of the 25 bracket 28 and a washer having a body portion 33 is provided. The body portion 33 of the washer extends through the slot 32, and is preferably slightly longer than the thickness of the body portion of the bracket adjacent the slot 30 32, so that the bolt 34, which fastens the bracket to the post, cannot clamp the bracket tightly against the post, but will permit the bracket to be slidably connected to the post.

In Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8 are shown portions of 35 road guard structures where additional strength or shock absorption is required intermediate the guard rail and the supports. In Figs. 5, 6, and 8 a pair of similar brackets 35 and 36, each of substantially the same structure as the brackets shown in Figs. 1 and 3 are used except that slots 3'! and 38 are provided in the brackets 35 and 36, respectively, so that the brackets may be assembled in interlocking engagement, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6; that is with the leaf spring sec- 45 tions 39 to the outerv side and the C-spring sections 40 to the inner side. The brackets 35 and 36 may be welded to each other adjacent the slots 31 and 38 where additional strength is necessary. In the structure shown in Fig. 7 a series 50 of elliptical springs 4| and 42 are shown in combination with the bracket 28 shown in Figs. 3 .and 4. While the brackets 35 and 36 shown in Figs. 5 and 6 are shown with the ends o-f the leaf spring sections 39 bolted to the guard rail, 55

the guard rail may be slidably supported by the ends of these brackets in any suitable manner such as is shown in Fig. 1. Also the C-shaped spring sections 40 may be connected to the guard rail by any suitable means such as the clips, as shown in Fig. 1, or any other means such as bolts, as shown in Fig. 3.

While I have shown my invention in a plurality of forms it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various other -changes and modications without departing from the spirit thereof, andA I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A road guard structure comprising a guard rail, a support for said guard rail, and a combination C and leaf spring bracket intermediate the guard rail and the support having its body portion connected to said support and its ends engaging said guard rail.

2. A road guard structure comprising aguard rail, a support for said rail and a combination C and leaf spring bracket intermediate the guard rail and the support, said bracket having its ends extending in the same general direction longitudinally of the rail. f

body portion engaging the 3. A road guard structure comprising a plurality of spaced sup-ports, a guard rail, and resilient brackets intermediate the supports and the guard rail, each of said brackets comprising a support and a C-shaped spring end portion and a leaf spring end portion supporting said guard rail, said end portions extending in the same general direction longitudinally of the rail.

4. A road guard structure comprising a plurality of spaced supports, a guard rail, and resilient brackets intermediate said supports` and said rail, said brackets comprising C and leaf spring portions having their outer ends engaging the guard rail and a body portion intermediate the C and leaf portions engaging said supports.

5. A road guard structure comprising a plu' rality of supports, a guard rail, and resilient brackets engaging the supports and the guard rail, said brackets comprising a body portion, a leaf spring portion and a C spring portion, the outer ends of said spring portions extending in the same general direction longitudinally of the rail.

6. A road guard structure comprising spaced supports, a guard rail, a resilient bracket intermediate the support and said rail, said bracket comprising a body portion engaging said support, and C and leaf spring portions having their outer ends extending in the same general direction longitudinally of the guard rail, and means slidably connecting said guard rail to said bracket.

7. A road guard structure comprising a support, a guard rail, and a resilient bracket intermediate the support and the guard rail, said bracket comprising a pair of leaf spring portions and a pair of C-spring portions each of the C-spring portions being integral With one of the leaf spring portions.

8. A road guard structure comprising a support, a guard rail, and a resilient bracket intermediate the support and the guard rail, said ,bracket comprising a pair of leaf spring portions and a pair of C-spring portions, one of said leaf spring portions being integral With one of said C-spring portions and in interlocking engagement with the other leaf and C-spring portions.

9. A road guard structure comprising a support, a guard rail and a resilient bracket intermediate the support and the guard rail, said bracket comprising a leaf spring portion engaging said guard rail, and a plurality of C-shaped spring portions, one of said C-shaped portions being integral with said leaf spring portion.

10. A road guard structure comprising a support, a guard rail and a resilient bracket ntermediate the support and the guard rail, said bracket comprising a plurality of leaf spring portions and a plurality of C spring portions one of said leaf spring portions being integral with one of said C spring portions and having a notch therein open to one edge thereof and another of said leaf spring portions being integral with another of said C-shaped portions having a notch therein open to one edge thereof whereby the first mentioned integral spring portions may be interlocked with the last mentioned integral spring portions.

11. A road guard structure comprising a support, a guard rail, and a resilient bracket intermediate the support and the guard rail, said bracket comprising a pair of leaf spring portions having their outer ends extending in opposite directions in engagement with th'e guard rail and a pair of C spring portions having their outer ends facing each other, each of said C- spring portions being integral with one of said leaf sprin-g portions, thereby providing a pair of integral C and leaf spring portions.

12. A road guard structure comprising a support, a guard rail, and a resilient bracket intermediate the support and the guard rail, said bracket comprising a pair of leaf spring portions having their outer ends extending in opposite directions in engagement with the guard rail and a pair of C spring portions having their outer ends facing each other and in engagement with said guard rail.

13. A road guard structure comprising a support, a guard rail, and a resilient bracket intermediate the support and the guard rail, said bracket comprising aA pair of leaf spring portions having their outer ends extending in opposite directions in engagement with the guard rail and a pair of C spring portions having their outer ends facing each other, each of said C spring portions being integral with one of said leaf spring portions thereby providing a pair of integral C and leaf spring portions, and said pair of integral C and leaf spring portions being assembled in interlocking engagement with each other.

14. A bracket for a guard rail comprising a body portion adapted to engage a support, a C- shaped portion integral with one end of said body portion and a leaf spring portion integral with theother end of said body portion, said C and leaf spring portions having the outer faces of their outer ends substantially in the same plane and extending in the same general direction to provide guard rail engaging means and means adjacent each end of the bracket for connecting the bracket to a guard rail.

15. A bracket for a guard rail comprising a pair of leaf spring portions having their outer ends extending in opposite directions for engagement with a guard rail and a pair of C spring portions having their outer ends facing each other, each of said C spring portions being integral with one of said leaf spring portions.

16. A bracket for a guard rail comprising a pair of members each having a C-shaped portion and a leaf spring portion, each of said pair of members having a slot therein receiving a portion of the other member, the outer end of said C-shaped portions of the members facing each other and the outer ends of the leaf spring portions of said members extending in opposite direction and provided with means for engaging a guard rail.

17. A bracket for a guard rail comprising a pair of members each having a C-shaped portion and a leaf spring portion, each of said pair of members having a slot therein receiving a portion of the other member in interlocking engagement therewith.

18. A bracket for a guard rail comprising a plurality of leaf spring portions and a plurality of C-shaped portions, each of said C-shaped portions being integral With one of the leaf spring portions and means adjacent the end of each of said leaf spring portions for connecting said bracket to a guard rail.

19. A bracket for a guard rail comprising a leaf spring portion and a plurality of C-shaped portions one of said C-shaped portions being integral with said leaf spring portion and means adjacent the respective ends of the integral C- shaped portion and the leaf spring portion for connecting said bracket to a guard rail.

WARREN M. FLORANCE. 

